Pedestal for shoe-polishing machines.



J. E. BIRDSALL. PEDESTAL FOR SHOE POLISHING MACHINES. APPLlCATlON FILED OCT. 12. 1914.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

Liar/46,031.

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JAMES ELBERT BIRDSALL, OF'PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,'TO NATIONAL SHOE POLISHIN MACHINE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. i

PEDESTAL FOR SHOE-POLISHING IVIACHJ INES.

Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented NovtG, 1917,

Continuation (covering divisible subject matter) of application area v ewe -fiat March ,112.'

This application filed October To all whom it may'oonoern: I y H Be it known that 1, JAMES ELBER r B130 SALL, a citizenof the UnitedStates,residing at No. l66 North Farson street, in the city of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvani'a, have invented a new and useful Pedestal ior Shoe-Polishing Machines, of Whichthe fol lowing is a specification.

My invention, relates to an attachment for shoe polishing machines in which brushes. are mechanically moved about a fixed pedes tal on which the foot of the user is rest ng, and this application is a continuation 'ofmy co-pending. application for a shoe polishing machine filed March 30, 1912, Serial No.

687,529, and is partly shown therein. The object of my invention is to provide a pedestal that will afiord a foot-rest absolutely free from liability to injury to 'the foot restingthereon by reason of abnormal contact of any character with any of the movable parts of the shoe polishing ma chinerya" I attain this. object by the constru'ction illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which 1 Figure 1 is a plan viewof the pedestal Witha part broken away to show underlying construction; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, partly in section through the line m-m, 1; Fig. 3, a diagram of asystem ofthe electrical connections when applied to an electrically driven shoe polishing machine; and, Fig ha diagram of a system of the electrical connections Whenapplied to a mechanically driven machine It is tobe understood that the circuits and appurtenances are merely diagrammatic to 'illustrate the course and effect of the electrical energy and that, in actual practice, the Wires are to be properly insulatedand so disposed as to best'conform to the character of the shoe polishing machine to whicliapplied,

Similar indices refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The framework of my invent on is a! standard, 1, adapted to be suitably fixed to a convenient part'of a shoe polishing machinefas', a bed-plate A. lfi ie'ldably sur-' mounted thereon is a pad, platform or footrest, 2, normally held by spr1ngs,3, at a suflicient distance above the top of the stand ard to allow of an adequate depression of [from above. The character of this construcconsequently,"turning, twisting or rolling of 12, 1914. Serial No. 866,410;

the foot" placed thereona This foot-pad is purposely constructed to be sensitive and tractable to the press'ure of the springs 3' four distinct segments, 4, each'supported by a spring, 3, whereby the entire platform is uniformly and yieldably sustainedfin the I 'andto' the pressure ofafoot above, so as to a 1 be suscept ble ofundulatorymovements, So

flong as'lt possesses this characteristic,"it is absence of any pressure thereon, above the standard, yet susceptible tr, uniform and complete depression when pressure or Weight, as of a foot resting'evenly thereon, is exerted "tion' providesfor the inevitable andinde pendent rising under pressure from a spring,

the foot pressurether'eon be diminished, and,

the'foot on top ofth'e pedestal' willbe in- 3, of one or'more of the segments, 4, should ly accom anied b an elevation ofth se ment affected.

uspended from eabh segmentg asshown by the ball and socket joints, andpassing downwardly and freely through guide holes in the 'sta'ndardl, isfa rod, 6, whichis thus jadaptedto rise and fall in unison w-ith the undulations of the attached segment. Each rod terminatesin apointed tip, 7, adapted,

to make "good electrical connection," when normally depressech'with the springcont act 8, located, immediately at short distancebeneathj These members, 7' and Sjare parts of anele'ctric circuit, 9' and 9 ,and are therefore insulated at 10 andll, respectively, to

' prevent-the possibility of any current reach- 7 ing the pedestal or a foot thereon. The four sets of contacts, 7.8, are arranged in series in the circuit, 9 9 sothat no current can pass unless all four of these contacts are closed. To cause and maintain this condition it is necessary'that all four segments of the foot-pad be allthe waydown: in other 'Words,the pressure on the foot rest must be regular and uniform throughout." v

Fig. 3 illustrates the layoutof the electric circuit adapted to operate cases Where the shoe polishing machine isactuated by its own individual electric. motor, 12, while" Fig.

4 illustrates the method of controlling a me chanioally driven machine. This dual illustration is due to the fact that in the application of my device, the precise methods of at- 5 tachment must vary according to the character of the mode of operating the shoe sh ning machine; that is to say, this machine may be run by an electric motor directly connected to its drive shaft, or it may operate by power from a main drive shaft.

In the former instance the four contacts are interposed between the main switch, 13, and the starting switch, 1.4:, peculiar to the machine. That is, one lead, 9, connects one 5 side of the switch 13 directlyvwith the motor, and the other lead, 9, extends from the other side of the switch 13, in series, through the four contacts, 7-S,' and the starting switch 14, necessitating a closed contact at all these points, five in number in this illustration, to permit of the flow of any current through the motor, 12.

In the latter case, any convenient circult may be utilized as current to effect the'cong5 trol of the mechanical power operating the polishing machine. I have shown a battery, 15, as the medium of electro-motive force, and a friction clutch operated by a solenoid as the means of transforming the an electrical into mechanical energy. The lead,

9, connects one pole of the battery, 15, d1- "ectly with the magnet, 16; the other lead, 9, extends from the other battery pole, in

series through the four contacts, 78, to

the other side of the magnet. It is therefore necessary to close all four contacts, 78, to obtain a flow of current and to thus excite the magnet. When, however, these points are closed and the magnet excited,

40 the plunger core, 17, is drawn within, causing the lever 18 to throw a friction clutch, 19, into contact with both a gear 20, on the main power shaft, and a similar gear, 21, on the drive shaft of the shoe polishing machine. It is therefore evident that unless this connecting clutch 19 is thus coupled with the clutches 20 and 21, no power is transmitted to the machine, and that this connection can only exist when the current is flowing through magnet 16.

' It follows, therefore, that if there be any interruption of the electrical current, in either of the methods of installation described, the result will be the shutting-ofl' of the motive power of the shoe polishing machinery, and as any disarrangement, or im- 7 proper position of the foot on the pedestal must result in opening the circuit, such disarrangement will instantly stop the action of the shoe polishing machine. This stoppage will invariably attract the attention of the user and admonish him to re-adjust his foot to the normal and proper position on the rest, which being done, will reestablish the current and cause the machine to resume the operation. In short, so long as the foot is resting normally on the foot-piece, the machinery once started may operate and, assuming that any practical shoe shining machine is so constructed that no harm or abnormal contact canhappen to the foot while correctly positioned, safety is assured by my device; but, if, from distraction, curiosity or any other cause, the user raises, twists or otherwise misplaces'his foot, the motive power willhe thereby instantly cutoff and all action of the brushes and other parts cease.

l/Vhile my device serves to stopand to start a shoe polishing machine, it is not 30 essentially a starting and stopping attachment and must not be confused with such, the function of which latter is solely to set a machine going on its normal run. My device might be used time after time without 35 being called into active operation, and yet, with one nervous or restive individual, it might stop and start a machine several times during the process of blacking a single shoe. It is therefore essentially a safety device to automatically act in the event of possible peril to the foot.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have described and shown in the accompanying drawings the form thereof at present preferred by me, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise'arrangement and form herein shown and described.

I claim: a I

1. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard, a flexible member yieldably supported thereon, and means ac tuated by the flexing of said member to control the supply of power operating-a shoe polishing machine.

2. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard, a platform composed of divers segments superimposed thereon, a spring supporting each segment so as to leave an interval of space between said standard and said platform, whereby said platform may be depressed in whole or in part by pressure, and means actuated by depression of said segments to control the supply of motive power to operate a shoe polishing machine. Y

3. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard a flexible member yieldably supported thereon, an electric circuit adapted to control the motive power for .a shoe polishing machine including makeand-break mechanism, and intermediate means to operate said make-and-break mechanism by the flexing of said member.

4. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard, a platform composed of divers segments superimposed thereon, a spring supporting each segment so as to leave an interval of space between said standard and said platform, whereby said platform may be depressed in whole or in part by pressure, an electric circuit adapted to control the motive power for a shoe polishing machine including make-and-break mechanism, and means to operate said makeand-break mechanism by depression and return of said segments.

5. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard, a flexible platform yieldably supported thereon, an electric circuit adapted to control motive power for a shoe polishing machine, and divers pairs of electrical contacts in said circuit having one member of each pair so positioned with reference to said flexible platform as to open and close said circuit by the flexing of said platform.

6. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, a standard, a platform composed of divers spring-supported segments superimposed thereon, an electric circuit adapted to control motive power for a shoe'polishing machine,divers pairs of electric contacts in said circuit and corresponding in number to the number of said segments, having one member of each pair so positioned with reference to one of said segments as to close and open said circuit by any depression and return thereof.

7. In a safety device for a shoe polishing machine, in combination, a pedestal comprising a standard with a resilient and undulant foot-piece thereon surmounted, an electric circuit, means, operable by inequality of foot-pressure on different portions of said foot-piece, to open said circuit and means whereby such opening of said circuit shall stop the motions of the shoe polishing machine. I

JAMES ELBERT BIRDSALL.

lVitnesses:

AUGUSTINE C. METZINGER, W. E. DOTTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

